I’ve lived in this area for a long time. I was born in Portsmouth and although I lived in Scotland between the ages of 2 and 10, we moved back to Gosport before I started secondary school and I’ve lived in either Hampshire or Dorset most of the time since then. (Nah, not going to admit how old I am now! My kids are adults, but I’m not a grandmother and I’m not retired, so you can do some guessing!).
Anyway, suffice to say I feel I know Hampshire and Dorset pretty well. But although Salisbury is just as geographically close to me as Weymouth, I wouldn’t say I knew that much about it until the first time I went over there to drop off our magazines to the distribution team.
If you don’t live in the area, but think you might want more business from there, here are some interesting facts:
- Salisbury has a population of approximately 40,000 to 45,000 within the city limits,.
- There are over 42,000 homes which have an SP postcode, but that goes out a long way (nearly to Shaftesbury in the west). If you narrow it down to the areas closest to the city, it’s more like 14,000 homes.
- Salisbury has an older-than-average population, typical of many rural and small-town areas in the UK with around 20% of residents are aged 65 and over.
- The working-age population (18-64) makes up the majority, while children and adolescents (under 18) make up about 18% of the population.
- Salisbury’s economy includes public sector employment, especially in healthcare and local government, as well as retail, tourism, and some manufacturing.
- Many residents also commute to other towns and cities, including London, thanks to Salisbury’s rail connections.
In terms of the potential for business from residents, whilst there are 14,000 homes in the core area it’s a real mix. There are some lovely big houses, new developments including at Longhedge, north of the city, and a lot of 50s homes. Like any city though there are some less affluent areas and lots of flats. We choose 7,000 of these homes to deliver our magazine to.